Help! What to look/ask for when buying $5K vehicle

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incar., Feb 16, 5:21am
What I don??
incar., Feb 16, 5:23am
sorry guys but the poster really needs to read the above, but to the post your more then welcome to email me for valid facts with your budget
gunhand, Feb 16, 5:34am
Ive had a few cars under 5k and none have givin me a problem If you know what your looking at its not a problem. Even had one that cost $375 plus half a days labour. Had it two years and replaced a CV joint in it. Sold it and it kept runing fine till new owner wrote it off.
So making useless unfounded comments are just a waste of time and confusing when someone is asking a genuine question. At least some are being helpful.
Oh and my wifes current car cost 5k and we have had it two years and not a day of problem.
You must choose duds.
pukus, Feb 16, 5:57am
Thankyou for your thoughts on this - it's something we've debated also, however the problem we have with it is that we still won't know the history of the second hand engine so we're still in the sameposition as if we bought a different car plus our 1996 vectra has quite a few things starting to wear on it that would mean we'll be getting a much lesser car than if we bought something in the $3000 price range as if we kept our vectra and paid $3000 for the repair. Hope that makes sense. I do appreciate your question though as I may not have thought about that. Thankyou.
pukus, Feb 16, 5:58am
Certainly gives me a lot more hope than some of the comments. thankyou.
pukus, Feb 16, 6:00am
So would a falcon or commodore be a good option mechanically!
tonyrockyhorror, Feb 16, 6:00am
What's bollocks!
tonyrockyhorror, Feb 16, 6:01am
Can't any of you idiots read what's actually written instead of what you think is written!
tonyrockyhorror, Feb 16, 6:02am
Another twit. This place is overloaded with them!
intrade, Feb 16, 6:03am
i advise you to scrap the vectra its a bottom less pit . worst cars are mitsubishi some nissans most holdens and some toyotas but that 2.2 4 cilinder toyota petrol engine is ultra reliable if it gets serviced some time.
prices are on the way up these cars will soon sell for 6 grand
check the toyota i posted . they can run up to 450,000km with no mutch problems then rust on front window roof etc. mechanically if serviced then they just need what all cars need new cv brakes clutch the usual.
jason18, Feb 16, 6:05am
Au falcon Wagon. Had no probs with mine. Do alot of kms and tow a 2ton cherry picker 4.5k cost me.
gunhand, Feb 16, 6:05am
Well maybe if you actually post something that meant something and could not be taken in possably more than one way you wouldnt have people having a go at you.$5k problems. Is not really anything so naturally all of us asume you mean a car for 5k would be all problems. Is this NOT what you meant!
neville48, Feb 16, 6:21am
http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/motoring/6430972/The-most-dependable-carsCheck this out for yourself and dont listen to others haha.
richardmayes, Feb 16, 7:26am
I've never owned either so all I know is hearsay an innuendo. But there are plenty of Falcon/Commodore owners on here.

On paper both of them are mechanically older, lower-tech and less highly strung than Jappers the same age.They both have a name for reliability and for trucking on for years, provided you do all your maintenance.

I have head of Holden V6 engines occasionally having strange, obscure catastrophic failures in the engine, but this seems to be more the new 3.6 "alloytec" V6 than the old 3.8 V6. (This could be because of being owned by chumps who think they are driving a V8 supercar and thrash the shizzle out of them!) A Straight six Ford engine only has one head and one head gasket, so to a layman like me it seems like it *should* be cheaper to fix if it does ever have a heart attack.

I have heard of Ford Falcons rusting ("AU" model and newer ones.) and I have heard of some Falcons being recalled to factory because of silly things like steering components that sometimes break. But in general they are big, solid, straightforward cars, and there are so many of them around that mechanics will know their way around them.
pukus, Feb 16, 8:28am
That's what i'd heard, that they keep trucking on, but I do need to get my hands on their service history to ensure that it's been kept well otherwise that point is defunct. I'm kinda excited now,but also a little daunted still. I'm wondering how thirsty the commodores falcons etc are compared to say, the vectra, . I understand it's in the way you drive them, but if you were to drive them the same, how much extra would it cost to run them if we spent $40/week on gas for the vectra!
pukus, Feb 16, 10:04am
and if so, what price do you reccon I could take it down to!
richardmayes, Feb 16, 7:12pm
You'd need someone who actually knows them to tell you whether that particular car's a good buy.

Around town they drink the gas compared to smaller cars. (but then, this might add $15, $20 to your weekly bill!)

On the open road they are surprisingly good if you don't put the boot in too much.
male_timaru, Feb 16, 7:15pm
Erm - wow - what a way to sell a car - yeah was fun but now it bores me - you have to read between the lines of their answers - also you can send a mate to ask same question - if answers don't match they're just trying to flick her off !

Simple really

This question stumps a LOT of car sellers who are not selling for genuine reasons ! this is WHY i ask it .

So funny to hear some of the BS they come out with

1 car I was interested in got 6 different sale reasons from (mates phoned / text in why was he selling)
kazbanz, Feb 16, 8:14pm
HMM-an 02 92k commy--Maybee I'm a bit outa touch with auzzie iron but that looks pretty well on the money to me
thejazzpianoma, Feb 16, 8:15pm
Please stop trolling me.

I have fixed and personally service many VW's, including DSG service, timing belts on FSI engines etc. I have the proper VW VCDS software and many factory tools. I also have experience owning and repairing many other brands.

Unlike you I have actually OWNED and DRIVEN these vehicles myself, paid the bills ordered the parts etc. I also ran a small fleet of ageing Fiats when I had my business which again I paid to service etc.
I have even been involved with importing damaged VW/Audi's for repair some years ago. I am at least as qualified to comment on these vehicles as you.

BTW, VW/Audi parts are exceptionally well priced in NZ. I should know as we have ordered tens of thousands of dollars worth over the years for crash damaged ones, along with many mechanical service parts. I do this regularly and last ordered parts yesterday.

If you think parts are expensive you clearly don't know where to order them from.
johnf_456, Feb 16, 8:19pm
Give it up thejazzpianoma, you may mean well but people switch off.
thejazzpianoma, Feb 16, 8:24pm
Hi again Pukus,

Once you have looked at a Passat, if you like it feel free to come back for a bit of a guide to getting a good one. These vehicles are fundamentally very reliable however like any car there can be areas of neglect/abuse you can spot ahead of time which will usually pre-empt any expensive repairs in future.

Ideally the 2001 or later facelift mode is the best, however this will be a bit of a stretch on yourbudget. Better an excellent example of an older one than a poor example of the newer one.

I agree that you have made the correct decision with the Vectra. They are lovely to drive and well equipped but are getting older now and are just not as well engineered and put together as the likes of the VW.

The Vectra's tend to start suffering from lots of annoying issues like shared off exhaust manifold bolts, expensive and difficult to replace radiator hoses etc at around the age yours would be now.

Best of luck with whatever you choose.
tgray, Feb 16, 9:25pm
You say to a novis NOT to get an AA or VTNZ check because they don't check things that are critical! - rubbish!
With all the choices out there, you suggest to this lady who knows nothing about cars, to go and buy either a Fiat, Volvo or VW!
Original poster, please ask your (any) mechanic on whether this is truly good advice. Jazz man has a loathing for most Japanese cars and his bias truly shows.
tgray, Feb 16, 9:28pm
He conveniently misses out on suggesting the obvious choices, because he is still trying hard to convince himself that he is correct in favouring Euro cars.
He won't convince people who have experience in the Fiats and VW's that he blindly adores, but one day he just might convince himself that there are people out there that actually know about cars and there are better options.
tgray, Feb 16, 9:28pm
He conveniently misses out on suggesting the obvious choices, because he is still trying hard to convince himself that he is correct in favouring Euro cars.
He won't convince people who have experience in actually owning the Fiats and VW's that he blindly adores, but one day he just might convince himself that there are people out there that actually know more about cars than he does and there are better options.
This is where he comes back with a big lecture about how ignorant I am and about the great experience he has had in having them, but don't be fooled!
Don't believe him or me for that matter - before buying anything, talk to some mechanics and ask their advice. (more than one!)